Alone (2015– ) User Reviews

'Alone' puts the 'real' back into reality TV.

[Seth_Rogue_One · 9/10 · 2 February 2017]

Although TV series like SURVIVOR can be quite entertaining they are for the more part very much manipulated in multiple ways, the producers put up challenges that they think will benefit certain more interesting characters and conflicts are at times nothing more than a production.

Here we get none of that, no votes or backstabbings or alliances, no competitions to get immunity or extra nurishments etc. Not even any contact with any outside human sources such as a camera crew or anything because they have to film their experience themselves.

The rules are really simple, 10 people are taken to isolated places in the wilderness miles apart from each other. They then have to try to survive off the land, build shelter and find food sources to last them as long as possible.

All while surrounded by packs of wolves, bears and cougars and dealing with often extreme weather conditions.

The person who stays the longest wins, 500 000 dollars.

So there are no gimmicks or game twists merely survival of the fittest and that is why this is a reality series that is definitely well worth checking out.

Human condition at its best and worse through an honest perspective

[mdebernart · 9/10 · 21 August 2015]

Finally a "non reality" show that captures your interest up to the final episode. I really don't appreciate reality shows and I blame the Dutch for inventing the "Big Brother" and giving birth to this polluting TV Show genre. But I digress..

This show is phenomenal, mainly cause, as previously said by warblerluvr (a fellow IMDb user) it lacks of an annoying all-knowing host figure and there is no competition among participants for food or tool rewards which just brings out the worse in humans.

I learnt a lot of survival tricks and different ways to manage yourself in adverse situations to the point that I would describe this show not only entertaining but highly educational.

Now I really want to experience this kind of survival adventure for myself and learn more about the several techniques involved in the process.

Of course there are also a few downs but really understandable ones:

• You obviously cannot like every single participant and luckily most of the annoying ones are the first and fastest to go, mostly cause they just don't have an inch of what it would take to really embark in such an adventure!

• Lots of repetitions i.e the same footage and lines reused before and after commercials (I watched it without so I guess for me was even worse) but again, I guess that due to the lack of other form of entertainment but the self filming participants it was just bound to happen.

• I would have appreciated the network acknowledgement that of course the show is filled with amazing and clearly professional shot footage of nature in all its beauties and adversities instead of pretty much just going with the "all the footage was self shot by each contender".

All in all this was a great show, my favourite 2 characters from the very first episode proved to be the best and most deserving ones and had an exciting "head to head" finale! Great job History Channel, I thank you for this!

I will definitely enjoy a second season of this as long as nothing changes and its kept as honest and truthful as season 1 has been!

Good show and YES wolves DO attack humans.

[warblerluvr · 8/10 · 1 August 2015]

Someone posted, there isn't one documented wolf attack in history. You need to do some research. Many documented attacks plus 5 fatal attacks since 1989.

Most recent attack, a 14 yr old boy in MN. He survived. A woman was killed by 2 wolves just a few yrs ago in Alaska.

Just the lack of sunshine for so long will cause great psychological stress.

Those that give it low ratings probably want a somewhat scripted/planned show like Survivor or Amazing Race.

Of course its a slow paced show, no host to try and make it interesting, no competition for food rewards, no hype. It is just men left alone to record their daily struggles.

Very very highly recommended

[jo-reel · 10/10 · 31 July 2015]

I've never felt the need to write a review on IMDb, but the few people who don't give this show a high rating seem to be the only ones writing reviews.

Alone is not so much a survival show as a psychology experiment. The contestants are dropped in a dangerous wilderness with just the barest necessities and left to their own devices. Besides having to find shelter, food, and drinkable water, they have to deal with being alone all the time for as long as they can stand. Some of you probably don't realize how hard it is to deal with loneliness. Just watch a prison show and see how people break down in solitary confinement.

The one thing they have for company is a little hand camera, and the contestants that last long enough really open up to it. The longer the season lasts the more they bare their soul for all to see. To me it's the most fascinating TV I've ever seen. It makes you appreciate your food, your home, and the people around you more, just by showing you were you'd be without them.

Finally a proper survival show...

[imdb-487-881561 · 16 July 2016]

Finally a proper survival show. Mind you, it has many flaws. But it is a monumental step forward for this type of shows.

There is no need for you to know this but I consistently write negative reviews about survival shows. There are a handful of reasons for this but, essentially, they let me down.

Not this time. From producers and crew to the "contestants", everyone has tried to do the show the way it should be done.

The heart of 'Alone' are the folk competing. As time goes on and their situation evolves, viewers are presented with a soulful, tearful at times, rendering of woes and struggles.

Some people get "in their own heads", eventually freaking themselves out into an exit. Their rationalizations are poignant, and cruel, and humbling,... and only become more so as the days pass.

Some people endure and the ones that do, do it on a shoestring. Literally. They gradually devolve into physical and psychological miserable existences, bringing to the fore the inherent, real difficulties involved in true survival situations.

This is not Bear Grylls on a weekend adventure... although, I will say, that's a guy that I would like to see competing on this show.

Anyway.

Some of these guys put their very heart (and then some) on the line. Here is a shout-out to their courage and my appreciation for taking us there, to the edge, with them.

Respect.

Couldn't recommend this show more

[dpechal · 10/10 · 28 June 2016]

There are a lot of"reality" shows out there that are just not good and most likely staged. This has to be the most"real" show I've seen on TV. Besides that, it's absolutely the most interesting show I've seen. The mental aspect of being alone for so long always seems to catch up to the contestants. The skills are great, but until you can cope with your emotions, it means nothing. Sometimes the drop off location is not as good as others, but that's the part that shows how good of a survivor these folks are.

I highly recommend this show just based on the fact that it is legit and lets you into the lives of very diverse individuals and what they see as important to them. Couldn't recommend this show more.

Great show- The real thing

[foneman-44521 · 10/10 · 21 July 2016]

As someone who has spent a great deal of time in the back country I can say without a doubt that this is the realest of reality shows. I find it very entertaining watching the contestants do the wrong or right thing and then deal with consequences of there choices. I have also learned a thing or two - like using a tarp to build a boat or something that will float (never considered that, but I have a canoe so I never had to). The longest amount of time I have ever spent alone is 6 days and I have been alone for days many times over the years. I can tell you first hand it can really mess with your head.

Storms, vermin, predators, insects even the silence it all effects you. My hat is off to all the contestants who survived for even a few weeks. Your all winners in my book.

A "Real" Reality series

[joebruba · 10/10 · 15 July 2015]

Lot's of haters reviewing. First off, I would call for help within 30 minutes as I could never survive. The only thing I could outlast anyone on is being completely alone but I have none of that survival skills.

I think it's funny that many really think this is easy and not realize the many limitations these guys faced. They were not allowed to take any firearms or protection aside from pepper spray. You could take a bow and 6 arrows but not sure that would do much against a bear. As far as equipment, they were only allowed to pick from a list of 40 items. I'd really like to see these guys huffing and puffing to really join the show.

As for help, depending on where they were, at night, there was no way anyone could rescue them immediately. In one of the episodes (spoiler alert), Wayne called for help after a bear started chasing him... help got to him 3+ hours later...

I really like this because it's a "real" reality show. Can't wait for the next episode.

Love the show, worried about where it's headed.

[isaacthe · 10/10 · 9 March 2023]

I've watched every season religiously.

I think it's the greatest show out there.

It inspires me, teaches me, and gives me a longing to get outside.

I kearn new things every time I watch it.

I love seeing parts of northern Canada and other wilderness areas. Their location selection is amazing. I started watching originally just because where season 6 was.

Season 5 was rough because the poor people didn't have any food. Slim pickings in Mongolia. I think the winner was barely at 50 days and all he ate were leaches and mice.

Word to the producers (who will never read this) learn from past company, business, and television mistakes.

"Don't fix what isn't broken".

You are going to have a vocal minority of your viewership complain about it getting boring. Seeing similar things each season.

I promise you, don't change a thing and 80% of your viewership that is silent and doesn't get in in the chat waves will faithfully watch each season, every year, for the rest of time.

Obviously the small twists are awesome. Season 4 with the teams was fun. Season 9 making them fly fish because "regulations". Those are fun.

What I mean, is don't change what the show is, thinking that we're going to get tired of watching people simply survive. Hunt. Eat. Build. Forage. Etc.

Season 9, I don't know what producers encourage applicants to talk about or film before they get dropped out there, But the editing and direction definitely seemed to be "hey let's emphasize mental health and 'overcoming your past'". Which are very real things, but when manufactured, you get a victim culture like Jacques who uses the word "Traumatic " to describe an otherwise moderately challenging childhood.

His father was struggled with alcohol. Not uncommon.

Parents get a divorce. Not uncommon.

Difficult yes. Added adversity to overcome. Yes.

Traumatic? We're your parents murdered in front of you? That's trauma.

Up until the 1930s, children worked in factories, often times dieing very young from malnutrition and diseases. Usually missing parents. Terrible conditions to grow up in. They never used the word Traumatic.

Your audience are people that take interest in survival. Mental/physical fortitude. Ingenuity. Personal growth.

Please don't become a show pandering to new age vocal outliers. Culture fluxes and flows.

The things being demonstrated on this show are timeless and more resilient than my current weaker generation.

I'm not a back in my day boomer. I'm 31. I'm a millennial.

Don't let my generation ruin this show with cultural pressure to be constantly introspectively pandering to self absorbed ideology.

They have every other show coming out currently to pander to them. Keep this show our one haven to escape the nonsense of our worldly bickering.

Let contestants just muse to the camera without direction.

Don't let your editors hone in exclusively on the this is how my childhood made me feel moments.

Alone works because you just put a camera on nature and click play.

The more you try to bend that to your direction, the less it will be what it was.

And you will lose interest from your audience.

We want reality.

Not "reality".

Great series!! But season 8 tanked quite a bit.

[goetzalli · 9/10 · 26 July 2022]

I love this survival show. It's exciting, scary, funny, emotional, beautiful, and depressing all in one. I agree with the reviewer who said S1-7 were amazing.

Season 8 left me feeling frustrated for the contestants. Now don't get me wrong, there was SO much skill in this season. The boat, the pier, the underground cabin, heck a lot of the cabins/tents were very well made, the knife, the gill nets were pretty good. It was a talented group. And yet.....there was no food. The lake was too harsh for fishing. There were sooo much regulations and restrictions on their fishing and hunting. Not to mention, the bears. Like c'mon! This season was a torture fest. On top of that, the editors seem to think we want to hear the contestants entire life's stories instead of their actual survival skills. When Colton caught those two fish...they showed his excitement for a brief minute but they didn't even show him eating it, enjoying it. Part of the satisfaction of survival shows is the "Finally!! FOOD." You get enjoyment from their successes, not their depression. I understand they're lonely, hungry, sad and they're going to vent to the camera. I get it! But this season seemed to focus solely on that all while forgoing the hunt. I mean we found out at the end of the season that Clay actually caught 4 rabbits. We barely saw any of that. He said in the interview that he caught he some more grouse as well that was never pictured. We barely even seen him eat his dear. He had days worth of deer! Why did the production/editing crew suddenly think we don't care about any of that? That we just want to see them all starve and whine every day and not see any of their satisfaction from a catch?

I give Alone the show a solid 10/10. I give Alone season eight a 6/10. I only docked 1 star for the bad season. Haven't watched 9 yet but I truly hope they do better.

An actual reality show

[Bryan- · 7/10 · 20 September 2018]

Shocking I know. A reality show that actually seems real with no interference from producers or outright scripting. I do recommend watching this at a faster speed, I prefer 2x. The show plods along most of the time. The episodes themselves consist of half doing and half talking behind b-roll of the environment, with cliffhangers stuck on each commercial break. There's a lot of downtime with the whole zooming out showing the contestant's area which will have you reaching for the fast forward button.

These downsides are mitigated by the heartbreaking moments in each season. Don't be naive like me and immediately dismiss it because it's a reality show. The reviews here are what encouraged me to give it a shot, so thanks ya'll.

Best (Survivorman-style) survival-based contest reality show out there. I think Les would enjoy watching even if he hasn't admitted it yet.

[inthepinez · 10/10 · 7 May 2020]

They took Les Stroud's innovation to film himself alone and built a reality show contest out of/around that premise with 10 contestants per season and the results are great. It was a no-brainer really, and i'm surprised no one got around to doing this show until so many seasons later after Les basically laid out the formula minus the contest part, which is really not a bridge too far even for the least impaired and creative producers out there. It took more inspiration to come up with naked and afraid than it did this show, but this show proves that more [hokey, over-produced] is not always better. Let them try to make it, and give them cameras, in an unforgiving environment at a time of year when it only gonna get worse and worse. Let the participants do the rest. Only pay one of your contestants/content producers. How could that plan possibly not have succeeded? Great entertainment for anyone chilling in a warm home with food while appreciating the small things over which others are struggling mightily. Makes a little snack from the fridge/pantry that much more satisfying.

OK if you wanna watch people crying on a beach whining about missing their family.

[Kronenbourg16 · 6/10 · 13 May 2022]

It's a decent show. I respect the competitors, but it can be so tedious. I think far too much is dedicated to people sitting and whining about their family and home. It would be okay if it were used to punctuate certain moments, but filling each episode with 20+ minutes of it is tiresome.

And it's not as if there aren't more interesting things to talk about. Often you don't even get a real good look at the homes people build. If the camera work isn't great then you can animate a 3d model and highlight the features that make it good for survival, etc. Same thing with everything they make and do, and it could be narrated and interesting.

Whether you like that idea or not, i'm sure you can agree that we don't need 20 minutes of missing wife and kids each episode. I understand that emotions are part of survival, but as i said.. you can use these cuts for emphasis occasionally. Because otherwise it gets old, fast.

Way too much filler/editing and the sound effects are horrendous!

[notifynow · 5/10 · 27 June 2020]

There is so much overlay and intro between the commercials its excruciating. The only way to watch this is to record it first and zip through the filler. They repeat so much stuff as well. They take a great concept of being just by yourself in nature and destroy it with the most commercialized editing drivel possible. And in many episodes (I'm currently in Season 3) they use this breathing sound effect ad nauseum. Its used often more than once a minute. Can you imagine how aggravating it is to go through that - to hear something maybe 100 times in a single episode? Truly the most brain dead editors working on this show.

Being out there is not easy.

[FishBibble · 10 July 2015]

Being out there in the wilderness at night with no protection is no picnic, and I can tell you have never done it if you think it is.

I can say this because I grew up in northern Canada, and as a kid we would chase away black bears and we saw them all the time when i went hiking with my friends. I was 12 at the time and a group of us would chase these bears away, we lived in a town of about 350 people up near Alaska, a small Canadian mining town, and so I got used to seeing all kinds of wildlife. There was one time an older black bear turned around and started charging back at us after we had chased it across a big baseball field at night, I have never ran so fast in my life, and the kids I was with ran as well, as there was no protection out there on a field with nothing to climb or hide behind, we had a golden retriever who was my family's dog, He had warned me more then once about some bear while camping or fishing, and had many times he had stood his ground protecting us, but that time he ran faster then all of us, and speed past me.

I have also read all the stats about wolf and bear attacks, and while it is one thing to understand that there has not been any real wolf attacks documented, it has happened. And there are numerous bear attacks having been documented. There is a big difference between a timber wolf and a normal wolf. When I was around 15 years old, I went hiking and being a kid was oblivious to my surroundings. I was crossing a river, when I felt something, so I looked up, and there was a timber wolf staring at me also crossing the same river, it wasn't the usually way a dog looks at a person, it is very different, you could see he was trying to decide if I was food or not? It was super scary, the two friends I was with bolted, and having no choice at that time, I did the same. When he started to run at us I could tell he still hadn't decided what he was going to do, but it was just instinct. I got to a bunch of trees and climbed up them quickly and he stopped at the base of the tree and looked up. He then heard another hiker call out down the trail, and he gave me one last glance and bolted. if I was alone he might have decided to eat me, seriously, while most Hollywood portrayals of wolfs is ridiculous, attacks do happen, and a timber wolf is a real predator, unlike a normal wolf which i feel like I would have a chance against, a timber wolf is so much bigger and made to kill big prey. Their chests are huge, as well as their paws and teeth.

Anyway, it seems like easy money this show, but to the credit of the people who have left, it is another thing when you are actually being stalked by the bear, all the way back to camp, that is serious behaviour and I have no doubt that such a bear would attack when it showed no fear, and actually showed aggressive behaviour. Admittedly wolfs, I would be less scared off, but is is still another thing to have no way of protecting one's self and no way to get help quickly. To those who think it would be easy, well, go try being in a tarp tent, without even a zipper, and see i you think you are as brave when a cougar, bear or timber wolf is scratching on your door.

The best thing any of them can do is create a big fire at night, that would go a long way to scare away animals, and create some sort of protection. I can't wait to see anyone here who thinks it is easy to get out there at night, and see how they do. Again, it is a completely different thing to read stats, or to meet bears with the protection of a car, a good tent, even the protection in numbers, then when you are all alone, with no weapon, and know you are pumping fear hormones into the air. You have no idea how scary that can get, it is no wonder that the people who have had predators come back to their camp have left... I do not blame them, even having my experience with bears and wolfs.

Maybe the show's producers should take people up on these forums who think it is easy.

Good Show But I Wish the Conditions Were Less Harsh and More Emphasis on Skills

[leftbanker-1 · 10/10 · 18 August 2015]

I wrote about S1 and I've just watched S6. The participants in S6 were outstanding and the conditions way beyond dreadful. I like the show, although it seems like torture porn. I wish they could have a season that wasn't so harsh and really allowed participants to thrive in the wild instead of barely--and I mean just barely--surviving. The extreme conditions work to speed up the process of elimination, but it just seems cruel and very inhumane, like throw gladiators into the arena.

S1: Absolutely extraordinary! A thrilling landscape and a formidable challenge for the participants: survive in the Pacific Northwest wilderness.

First of all, it seems a little risky as a TV show as it wouldn't be impossible for someone to die doing this, not impossible at all. The chances of someone being hurt would be highly likely, in my opinion. The location they use in this season is the spectacular Pacific Northwest, an area I know pretty well having lived in Seattle for eight years and I spent a lot of time in the mountains in Washington and British Columbia. Bushwhacking through these woods is extremely difficult and the weather (I think they began the show in late September or October) is pretty wretched as you will see. Below are a few of my thoughts as I watched the episodes.

I went through Air Force Survival School in eastern Washington (Spokane) and it sucked, mostly because it was the coldest winter in school history (just my luck). I'm not saying that I would do well in this sort of thing but I guarantee I'd last more than a few days.

Dudes are crying after a couple of days-one guy the first night like the fat guy in Shawshank. I could go without water or food for a few days without missing a beat. "Lions and tigers and bears, oh my!" Grow up and grow a pair.

The most embarrassing thing is the "rescue team" that snags the very early quitters, as if they are being rescued. No, you aren't being rescued; you're giving up almost immediately.

"Nobody knows what it's like out here except the ten guys doing it." Dustin (quit after 6 days). I think that a vast Indian population who lived there for centuries would beg to differ.

Stop trying to build a canoe, dude. Make a decent house in which you can sit out a mild Northwest storm without crapping yourself and crying. What a bunch of crybabies. Seriously, Crying? On camera?

"I did it. I made a boat." Fantastic, how does this help you survive? And how the hell does he have time to build a canoe? To do that he obviously isn't having trouble getting food and water in which case one would ask why he feels the need to build a damn canoe.

I think that after three weeks you could walk out of there with your head up. That's a long time and shows that you could probably go longer it you had to do it. By episode 8 they are into their fifth week in the wilderness, time enough to have serious problems with hunger. Sam was the big surprise for me because he looked like some Dungeons and Dragons video game punk and he hung in there. Sam-mouseboy-seems to be putting way too much effort into trapping tiny rodents which present a small pay-off if you succeed and would hardly provide the calories you need. Roasting it wouldn't be the best choice, calorically speaking, to prepare food. Boil it in water to retain every bit of fat. The same goes for fish and shellfish.

In this area if you aren't fishing you are wasting your time. Mushrooms would also be a likely and abundant source of carbohydrates. Shellfish would seem to be abundant and easy to snatch. This part of the world is lousy with mussels and oysters but I didn't see anyone making much use of this resource. A couple of them brought along a bow and arrows and a slingshot (Sam) yet we see only one half-hearted attempt by Sam to hunt. There is only one bit of film of him letting lose a single arrow. They couldn't kill a bird?

I'm just not seeing enough food production from any of them to sustain life. Allan was the only one who seemed even remotely successful in getting a few fish but they never showed him catching anything in his big fish trap. Meanwhile Lucas is spending his time making a lute? Not the best use of your time when you're slowly starving to death. I would spend every waking minute getting food, water, and making my shelter the best it could be.

None of them brought a shovel. Maybe it wasn't on the list but it seems like it would have been a valuable tool. If it wasn't available to bring along they could have made one for clam and mussel digging and other chores around the camp.

Here is what the last four packed in (the other six who left early were complete chumps so I didn't bother with their lists):

Allan 1. Saw 2. Axe 3. Sleeping bag 4. Large 2-quart pot 5. Ferro rod 6. Water bottle/canteen 7. 300 yards single filament line with 25 assorted hooks 8. Small gauge gill net 9. 3.5lb wire 10. Knife

Sam 1. 12×12 ground sheet tarp 2. Axe 3. Sleeping bag 4. Large 2-quart pot 5. Ferro rod 6. 300 yards of single filament line with 25 assorted hooks 7. Bow and 6 arrows 8. Slingshot 9. Extra emergency rations 10. Knife

In the end the best man won, and the funniest man, and the most articulate man, and the most philosophical man. Alan just seems like a great guy.

Season 8 Disaster

[cmalpelli · 10/10 · 20 June 2021]

If you're a fan of this show then I'm certain that it goes without saying how terrible the contestants are on season 8 so far, honestly I'm completely baffled how these people were selected to be on this show.

The real Survivor

[xxxNomadicxxx · 9/10 · 11 August 2018]

Survivor CBS is were the weak votes off the some what strong, this show, is the only the strong Survive. ALONE!

Fascinating, and satisfying to the soul

[jessesegedy · 10/10 · 27 December 2022]

Alone is such an interesting show with interesting people. I love watching the cast build and strategize their survival. So many of the different people have true character and courage that I don't really see in every day life and it inspires me to want to challenge myself. This is the only show I have ever reviewed because it is very special and I think that it's spiritually valuable for all people to see the struggles and the moments of gratitude that you will witness throughout the seasons.

I think this show also gives a reminder to city folks like myself that nature is beautiful but incredibly harsh and it takes a steel resolve and great skill to actually survive this world without all the fancy conveniences.

I consider this show a must watch!

Great Show

[futurelinkadvisor · 9/10 · 23 August 2015]

I was amazed at how much trouble participants had with this challenge considering the potential payoff. Isolation became a huge factor but obviously some of them were starving to death too. I think the person who won made it with mental toughness but also due to ingesting as many calories as possible and good shelter location. The man who came in second had some shelter issues and he was clearly starving to death. Going into it, I figured the animals would have been the biggest problem but it was isolation and lack of food for the people that made it more than a week. An interesting experiment. I tend to think I could do four months easy for half a million dollars but apparently that's not true. Great show.

Amazing show, until episode 9 season 3

[weeboarder · 9/10 · 3 February 2017]

To be honest here, i love the show. I believe this is one of the closest to reality, TV shows. However......

I do believe that their obsessive need for diversity has lead to the exacerbation of several stereotypes and has recently in episode 9 of season 3 has hit a new low. I believe the circumstances of Dave's disqualification for medical reasons was highly suspect. This man had 30 fish fillets and a seemingly endless supply of vegetation and fungi for additional minerals and necessary nutrients.

My argument is that low blood pressure due to long term starvation is noticeable by medical professionals weeks before it becomes "dangerous" or a risk of "organ failure". So if as the producers said they perform medical exams every week, then the doctor would have known long before it was actually that bad. Even with such a low blood pressure, simply eating two fillets a day, in two meals, he would have quickly improved. However they pulled him without question. During all other clips during doctors visits, they told the contestant their vitals, however in Dave's case, they did not. In other seasons the doctors notified the contestant before their Health issues were dangerous and even posed a choice to stay. But in Dave's case he was forced out. Dave seemingly could have stayed at least another two weeks, where as all other contestants had no food reserves and are on the brink of collapse mentally and healthily. So he was a shoe in for the win, unless the producers removed him. We all know betting happens regarding the win er of this show and this executive decision totally warped the odds. Secondly, it is clear the producers and editors have set the narrative for a female winning since the beginning, despite the person with the clearest path to victory was just forced off the show.

Im disappointed and feel the show was unjustifiably rigged after this stunt. I would have rated 10, if it weren't for Daves disqualification and their constant seeming need to place unqualified people in the show in order to "diversify".

Concept makes it the best survival show, but production is terribly sensationalist, and latest season was terrible

[ryan-beauchesne · 7/10 · 8 August 2022]

Positive note: the concept of 10 people surviving as long as they can by themselves (and no camera crew) with only 10 items, is the best premise of a survival show currently. Giving them 10 items makes it a bit more reasonable in giving someone a chance to survive a long time. To me, any survival show that has any sort of camera crew (non tripod or non POV shots) are immediately unreliable in their realism. So it's good this show relies on the survivors filming themselves.

Pain points: it's overly sensationalized, cheesy editing and ridiculous cliffhangers at every commercial break. The latest season in Labrador has every promo commercial showing "polar bear region! Oh my!" with clips implying someone will encounter one. Well, the whole season, no one even saw a black bear in person let alone a polar bear.

Latest season: I was excited tor Labrador, and sometimes a season just depends on the people themselves, but this one was just boring. The last few remaining contestants were not "surviving" by any means. It was just a competition of who could starve the longest. Literally, the winner of the show had decided to "fast" the remaining 12 days.

Further, I can't completely blame them. They had to abide by local regulations meaning they could only fly fish in the river. Well, only being able to 'fly fish' in a survival scenario is ridiculous especially being somewhere like Labrador where catching fish could make all the difference. So they were forced to rely on hunting grouse and squirrel only... So, no wonder they starved. (A couple people did catch fish but it was short lasted).

So, if you want to give us a show of people in a competition of survival not starvation, at least put them somewhere where local regulations are not going to extremely limit their ability to get resources.

And showing more of them crafting, hunting, fishing, rather than wasting episode time in pointless recaps and dumb cliffhangers could really make this show an iconic one rather than just "the best of mediocre survival shows" that relies on a good premise and cheap, sensationalist promotion.

Very INTERESTING...BUT, Why allow killing of a Wolverine?

[franchlife · 8/10 · 10 July 2020]

Wolverines are a precious and revered animal long vanished from vast areas of the "Lower 48." I don't care about your ratings or one man's desire to win some cash, YOU DON'T KILL WOLVERINES YOU JERKS!!!

The stress of dealing with yourself.

[rufsetufshesten · 7/10 · 7 August 2016]

I've always been a sucker for survival shows, but the newer shows tend to focus too much on the sensational than what one actually needs to do in a survival situation. Les Stroud being the exception. THat's why this show was a positive surprise for me when I started watching it. I was expecting a show more in the lines of Survivor or something like that, but instead I got a show where each man is pitted not against the other contestants, but against himself and his skills or lack thereof. It was interesting to watch how the guys dealt with the wildlife, climate and the need to build, from scratch, a home in the wilderness. It also helped that the climate on Vancouver Island is much the same as where I live, minus the large predators, so it was extra fascinating since this showed the rigors of trying to live off the land in an area that's damp or wet most of the time. The simple task of making a fire, keeping stuff dry and keeping warm is made that much harder when everything's damp.And all this done by guys that easier to relate to than Bear Grylls. THey seemed like guys you'd meet at the local pub or at work, but with just that little bit of extra interest in survival and the outdoors Another key thing that kept me watching was that you could see their struggle to keep, well, not sane, but motivated to tough it out when the trip back to civilization was just a phone call away. Back to the family and friends and the modern creature comforts. So, all in all an amusing show that actually managed to teach me a few tricks along the way.

Was pretty good up until season 8.

[dpivato · 5/10 · 15 August 2021]

Besides the terrible, cheesy, repetitive, 2000's reality tv editing this show is pretty incredible.

Seriously, save yourself 30mins out of an hour long episode by streaming (not watching live, I can't imagine how boring that would be), and fast forwarding through the repetitive recap, intro, post commercial break, and post episode ramblings. Basically skip the fat and get right to the meat of the show.

The previous seasons (1-7) were amazing. Season 8 should be captioned The Bum Fight: watch 10 people who need money try to survive the longest at a fishless lake, in a land abundantly occupied by an unhuntable predator.

Seriously, It's gone from a survival skill show to a glorified bum fight. "Who needs the money the money bad enough to push themselves to the brink of starvation to win a chunk of money."

Pair it with the terrible, terrible cheesy editing and this season has taken my favorite show and made it nearly unwatchable.